Private It's A Jungle Out There

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Belkadan.​

Adjusting her kasa, Aoki Mira looked down from the treetop. she jumped, landing neatly on a mossy rock with the aid of the Force. She wore black shorts that were so muddy and grubby, they looked worse for ware. Her exposed legs had cuts and were coated in dirt. Her hair was knotted and tangled, despite being tied back, and she had sweat coating her entire body. She breathed heavily in the humidity. Her small shirt was the most exposing form of clothing she had ever worn in her life. She was just trying to keep cool. The tall, tangled jungle trees and murky swamps had been her home for... six months? A year? Ten years? She had lost count of the days. She had been unable to contact any outside help since her ship crashed, and she had remained near it as a shelter on this tropical planet. She sighed, adjusting the primitive bow she had made several months back. Thanks to her Atrisian upbringing, she knew how to use this "archaic" weapon very well, as she had once perfectly weilded her family's energy bow.

That relic, however, was stored away at home. In the Demici family estate on Serenno, tucked under her neatly kept bed.

She missed Serenno.

Every day, she wondered if she would ever see it again.

With a sigh, she carefully slid into the knee high swamp water and carried on. She had done nothing but survive for a long time, and she had the feeling that no one was coming for her. Even her leader, Michael Barran. The only thing that had kept her pressing on was - she felt a warm snout on her leg. She looked down, seeing a familiar sight. She had adopted this Charhound when he was just a puppy. Now, he was fully grown and built for this tough lifestyle he had been raised in. Mira lowered her grubby hand and scratched him on the head. He leaned into her, enjoying the attention. Mira continued to look around. She was used to this glade. She knew every rock and every tree. She had crashed just over the hill, and this swamp was her primary hunting grounds.

She stopped petting her charhound as she sensed something. Behind the third tree to the right, there was the feeling of prey. Her pet could smell it, pointing his head towards the direction of the target with full attention. Mira reached back and pulled a crudely made arrow from her quiver. She silently pulled it bad, moving silently to the left. In the tree was one of the many local avian creatures here. She had no idea what the species was called, but she could taste the delicious meat already. With trained reflexes, she pulled her arrow back and unleashed the arrow. Was it the Force that made her such a good hunter? Was she really that good? As the dead bird fell from its perch, her charhound bounded through the muddy water and leapt up, catching the bird mid fall.

"Good boy!"

The canine turned back to Mira with a proud, raised head. His tail wagged joyfully. He trotted back to his owner as Mira pulled off her kasa and started fanning herself.

"This should be enough for tonight. Let us head back."

Bark! Bark!

​

 

[Shai Maji]

Belkadan wasn't really a stop any normal person would make. There was next to nothing on the planet, aside from the odd settlement filled with all manner of unsavoury characters trying to hide from prying eyes.

It was characters like these that brought Shai to the world, hunting down someone rumoured to harbour part of a shipment of Beskar that she thought was gone for good more than a decade ago. The same shipment she swindled from a Hutt employer, kept hidden and finally gave to her clan when she was accepted as a Mandalorian.

Those days were long gone. And for years she thought the shipment was lost with the Mandalorian Union. It was a shock for her when one of her contacts reached out to tell her about a part of this odd shipment he learned about.

In the middle of nowhere in the swamps, Shai carefully moved through the area as she followed her bounty puck. Either he knew she was coming after him, or he was trying to lay low for a bit for the murder he committed not too long ago. Judging from his pace, it seemed to be the latter. The ironclad Wardog pushed on through the jungle until a sound reached her ears.

A bark. Not too far away, but very familiar to her. She recognized that bark anywhere in the galaxy. A charhound. A beast of the Maw she became quite familiar with after her numerous encounters with them. She honed in on the sound, the scent. Unmistakable even among the muck of the jungle. The fresh smell of blood faintly flowed through the air as well, giving her a heading to move. She carefully skipped and bound through the trees with the help of her hover boots and grappling line until she found the source... except the mutt wasn't alone. A young girl carried the freshly caught prey with the hound following her like a dutiful pet. Behind her visor, Shai's features contorted into a snarl as she watched them from the canopy of the jungle. "Who the hell are you..." She muttered to herself as she continued to move silently through the trees. Her free hand hovered close to War by her hip as she watched her and her pet.

She tried to get closer, but one wrong step caused a branch to break away beneath her with a loud crack. She barely managed to catch herself and hoist back into the shadows, but there wasn't a doubt that the Wardog's prey would have heard it.

Aoki-Barran Mira

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Even before the branch has shattered, Mira had sensed it. Someone was in the murky shadows, hiding. A sentient lifeform - the first one she had encountered in a long time. This was an unfamiliar soul to her, but she could sense a strangeness in the Force surrounding her. Not Force Sensitive, but Force... affected? It was a bizarre feeling. Something like the tribal imbuements of Barran's unique troops, but distinctly different. As she moved, she looked down to see that her charhound had been alerted to the presence of another person as well. Immediately, he turned and started barking a loud, low alarm. Mira twirled around, greasy hair flying. She leapt between her precious canine and whoever was hiding, determined not to lose him because he was doing his job and scared someone.

Of course, the small twinkle was in her mind. The slightest chance that this person would be her ticket out of here.

She pulled her bow over her head, using the knarly string to tie it to her body. She adjusted her caught bird, as awkward as it was. She raised her hands, calm and steady.

"Yamasaki, heel."

The charhound stopped barking and uneasily sat down. Mira had no other weapons on herher at the moment, and she looked pitiful for a trained warrior. Her attire bore zero indication of her association with the Empire.

"I know you are there, stranger. Show yourself. I mean no harm, and I am alone. I have not seen anyone from the outside world in months. Please, help me."

If negotiating was possible, she hoped she could find rescue in the shadow in the trees.

Shai Maji

​

 

[Shai Maji]

"Well, shit." Shai muttered to herself with a sigh as she heard the mutt barking, quickly followed by the stranger calling out to her. Peeking from her hiding spot, she could make out that the person was unarmed from the look of things. The only thing in her hands were the bird she caught a few moments ago.

For all intents and purposes, the stranger and her obedient disgrace of life looked harmless. But she had made that mistake before. Still, the Wardog knew that she wasn't exactly a pushover. And the woman didn't look like a Sith Lord at least, which would make her job a lot easier if things went south.

She finally made up her mind and ignited her jetpack, flying out of her cover in the trees and landing a few yards away with one pistol still drawn. She took the moment to get a proper look at the woman. Her stance, her build, indicated a warrior. Oddly similar to a lot of Jedi, which immediately put Shai on high alert. "Kinda funny place for a Mawite to be hangin' around in. What's the matter, got left behind with your mutt?" She spoke up with a cold, synthesized voice through her helmet. "Just do me a favour, don't do something stupid. I got better things to do." She continued, twirling her pistol around her trigger finger as she watched the two.

"Who the hell are you?" She finally asked, her pistol firmly in her grip once again as she shifted her weight to one leg.

Aoki-Barran Mira

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

A Mandalorian.

A warmongering people obsessed with war. Enemies to the Empire now. She frowned as accusations of being a Mawite hit her ears. But Aoki definitely knew now that it was in her best interest to hide her allegiance to the Empire. For now. Or else, this rambunctious wardog might fill her full of blaster bolts.

Aoki remained calm, despite everything. Her steady facial expression seldom changed, and her movements were calm and controlled. She gently scratched her Yamasaki's ear and offered her rebuttal.

"A Mawite? Hardly. They threaten all peace and stability in the galaxy. Why would I work for them?"

She lifted her hand from her pet, causing him to look up to her with a face asking where the ear scratches went. But Mira was being successful keeping his attention off of the Mandalorian. She could sense that charhound sensed the disdain felt towards him.

"My name is Mira Letee. I crashed here an indiscernable time back. I want nothing but to escape this planet and return home."

She was chosing to go by her mother's less known maiden name for security reasons. If the name Aoki was at all known to the Mandalorians, she would be in trouble. And yet, she was still speaking truth. Letee was her mother's surname, so it was indeed a part of her name as well.

She shrugged the shoulder with the bird on it, her face still stoic as always. Her voice remained low and calm. "Are you hungry?"

Shai Maji

​

 

[Shai Maji]

"A Mawite? Hardly. They threaten all peace and stability in the galaxy. Why would I work for them?"

Shai shrugged as her visor shifted from the girl to her mutt. Her pistol idly tapped against her thigh plate as she studied the girl. "You get weird people in this galaxy. Otherwise they wouldn't be a problem, would they?" She remarked casually. The girl gave a name before expressing her desire to get offworld. Shai wasn't expecting something that simple from the girl. She had to stop herself from asking why the Mirialan didn't search for one of the small settlements.

Those weren't really prime place to get offworld. And the nearest one was days, if not weeks, of walking away. Even that one had Shai literally sticking to her guns as she asked around.

"Are you hungry?"

Shai blinked at the invitation before giving a shrug. "If that bird's big enough for three, I guess so. You'll probably want to feed that thing as well." She gestured with her gun to the charhound before reaching up to remove her helmet. "The name's Shai." She spoke as she fell in behind Mira, following them to their camp.

"Weird place to be gettin' stranded. How'd you end up in this sector?" She asked Mira as she walked, her crimson eyes watching her carefully.

Aoki-Barran Mira

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

"Follow me."

She motioned for Yamasaki to follow. At her heels, the charhound followed. Heading for the direction of her fallen ship, she navigated by pure memory. Using the Force, she was able to more easily travel. Jumping on branches and boulders, balancing on roots. The entire time, she paid extra to Shai Maji using the Force. In case she tried anything.

Sliding down a muddy slope, she then pushed some leaves aside. Revealed were the remains of her M.I. Mynock Freighter. Severely crashed, with the entire clearing still damaged and shaped by the crash, the freighter looked more like a half open building than a ship. Yamasaki recognized his home and leapt inside, yipping excitedly. Mira approached more slowly, happily remembering that her imperial gear was still locked away in the cargo hold, the most secure part of the ship. Starting a fire, Mira answered Shai's question.

"The navicomputer malfunctioned, taking me far from my initial destination. I am not sure if it was a glitch, or if the ship somehow contracted a virus. Regardless, when I came out of hyperspace, the planet's gravity already had the ship in a grip. And, I hit my head on the steering wheel. I woke up, somehow alive, right here."

This story was all true. It was a bit embarrassing, but true. Did the computer truly have a virus? She was unsure. Regardless, she was here now. And she had scraped together a living, but she had home to return to. Duty to return to. And she needed to be at Michael Barran 's side once again.

The fire crackled and burned. While Yamasaki snoozed atop a cool piece of shaded durasteel, Mira started working on skinning the bird.

"Feel free to rest inside the hull of the bridge. It's not air conditioned, but the shade is nice."

Shai Maji

​

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai stuck close to the stranger with attention locked onto her and her mutt. She wasn't fully convinced yet, she had dealt with the Maw enough times to know they were crafty. But this one seemed different at least. Either a Mawite who turned her back on her former masters, or simply a soldier with a different group. There was no mistaking her form or movements for anything else. This girl was a fighter.

They finally arrived at Mira's home, a crashed freighter Shai immediately recognised and knew far too well.

The sight of it written off like that wasn't exactly pleasant.

"Virus is a possibility. These ships got solid security, but everything with a circuit board's got a back door." She remarked as she studied the ship. How the hell did this harpy manage to total one of her ships? Regardless, Shai set her helmet down and looked around as the gears in her head started to turn.

Mira made a remark about the air conditioning, earning a snicker from Shai. "These ships are solid. Just gotta... convince... the reactor to play along." She commented as she began to walk off towards the cargo hold. "You got a power generator on her? Even if it's busted, you might be able to get it running. Navigation, atmospheric controls, might even got some running water left in the reservoir if you're lucky." She spoke casually as she began to look around the cargo hold with immediate familiarity.

Although she was getting rather adventurous with her choice of where to look. "You'd be surprised what you can accomplish with some sealant, welding putt and a hydrospanner." She went on as she continued in her search for components, spare parts and tools.

Aoki-Barran Mira